Rod Hull’s Emu moves in with George from Rainbow

One of Rod Hull’s last surviving Emu puppets has gone to live with Orville the Duck and George from Rainbow.

The puppet, which was made in the mid-to-late 1980s for TV production company Endemol, was bought at auction by the man behind CBBC’S Hacker the Dog, the puppeteer Phil Fletcher.

Mr Fletcher, from Wigan, bid over the phone for the muchfeared bird and paid £8,680 including buyer’s premium when it went under the hammer at Chippenham Auction Rooms, in Wiltshire.

Mr Fletcher, who also makes and collects puppets, said: “I’m 41 so I vividly remember seeing Emu on television when I was growing up. Rod Hull was one of the best puppeteers, but also criminally under-rated. Because audiences totally bought into the character of Emu, they forgot that Rod was operating him.”

He said the puppet will sit on the couch at his home in Wigan alongside George, the pink hippopotamus from ITV’S 1970s and 80s children’s Rainbow. There’s been an increase of homeowners aged 55 plus, accessing a lump sum of money from their home, without having to sell or move out. Find out more about unlocking cash from your home by requesting your FREE guide. This easy-to-read guide is written in plain English and is designed to provide you with all the information you need to decide if equity release is right for you. Equity Release may involve a home reversion plan or a lifetime mortgage, which is secured against your property. To understand the features and risks, ask for your personalised illustration. Any money released, plus accrued interest would be repaid upon death, or moving into long-term care. This equity release service is provided by Age Partnership, who provide initial advice for free and without obligation. Only if you choose to proceed and your case completes would a fee of 1.95% of the amount released be payable (minimum £1,495). Based on the number of Equity Release plans arranged from Oct - Dec 2017